The Turtle and the Stars: Observations of an Earthbound Astronomer - Softcover

Upgren, Sifu Arthur

Softcover

ISBN 10: 080507290X ISBN 13: 9780805072907

Publisher: Holt Paperbacks, 2003

Synopsis

“An approachable potpourri, Upgren’s essays will delight and inform astronomy buffs, whether students or recreational readers.” —Booklist

Why is a clear sky brighter near the horizon while a cloudy one is at its lightest overhead? What color is the atmosphere of Mars, and might it someday appear as blue as ours? How is it that the Milky Way casts shadows? Why does the Taj Mahal glimmer when you gaze up at it?

In The Turtle and the Stars, astronomer Arthur Upgren guides us through the physical phenomena that produce our sky and galaxy in all their variety and moods. He invites us to contemplate the natural beauty of the universe: a leatherback turtle depositing her eggs under a sky lit only by Venus, a total solar eclipse in Venezuela, the play of the spectrum on the cathedral at Chartres.

Sprinkled with references to history, literature, film, and music, The Turtle and the Stars is a treasure trove of information for armchair astronomers and naturalists alike.

About this title

About the Author

Arthur Upgren is senior research scientist in the astronomy department at Yale University and John Monroe Van Vleck Professor of Astronomy at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. He is the author of Weather: How It Works and Why It Matters and Night Has a Thousand Eyes.
He lives in Middletown, Connecticut.

From Library Journal

Upgren, a professional astronomer associated with two universities (Yale and Wesleyan), has two previous popular science works to his credit (Night Has a Thousand Eyes and Weather: How It Works and Why It Matters). This collection focuses on astronomy, and many of the essays are tied together by the subject of light pollution. Upgren, a longtime crusader against light pollution, argues that excessive and poorly directed lighting has increasingly interfered with ground-based astronomy and adversely affected a number of wildlife species. He explains how reasonable lighting controls can help astronomy and the environment without harming human public safety or reasonable advertising needs. Other brief essays discuss various astronomical topics at a lay reader's level. In general, Upgren's book makes for good reading and could be used as a supplemental text for college-level introductory courses. However, it could have been improved by tighter editing to eliminate repetitious sections. Also, a few areas where the line of argument is not pursued very vigorously could have been either strengthened or eliminated. For general science collections. Jack W. Weigel, Ann Arbor, MI
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 080507290X
• ISBN 13: 9780805072907
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 272